However, at dusk or dawn, the dimness could hide them away from these dangerous predators and give them a chance.Īnd since vegetation was very scarce, hamsters had to travel great distances for their food. Of course, they could do this in the day as well, but they had nowhere they could run and were easy prey. Read more about the senses of hamsters here to see how your hammy experiences the world.įurthermore, hamsters have incredible hearing, which gives them an advantage during twilight hours this high-level of hearing gave them the ability to hear incoming predators at great distances. But during twilight, their poor vision doesn’t matter as much, and they can rely on their powerful sense of smell to survive. For example, hamsters have notoriously bad eyesight, which would be a considerable problem during the day. So, hamsters played to their strengths and began hiding during the day.īut they also had to deal with nocturnal predators such owls too so, hamsters started operating in the hours in between day and night time when neither classy of predator was out and about (dusk and dawn).Īfter all, the dimness of twilight could hide a lot of their deficiencies as a species. All of these animals have great vision and are hyper-aware of any subtle movements.Īs you would expect, these predatory species would have a field day with a bunch hamsters meandering about out in the open. The example of the wild Syrian hamsterįor instance, let's look at Syrian hamsters in their natural desert habitat their neighboring predatory species in this ecosystem were birds of prey, snakes, and big cats.
It becomes quite apparent when you start to think about the animals that would be around them back in those days.
See, the ancestors of hamsters would need to operate at dawn and dusk, as it would help them avoid their potential predators. As you might expect, it’s a term that describes an animal that’s active during the times of twilight: dawn and dusk.Īnd the answer to this question why hamsters are crepuscular animals is rather simple. Why are Hamsters Crepuscular Animals?īefore we jump into the "Why?" let’s first further establish what a crepuscular animal is.Ĭrepuscular comes from the Latin word " crepusculum" which means twilight. Now, you’re probably asking yourself why exactly are hamsters crepuscular animals? Is there a specific reason for it? Is there something I should do as an owner to accommodate their instincts? Well, if you continue reading, we’ll answer these three questions and more about your favorite little furballs. In fact, they’re classified as crepuscular animals, which means they’re active during the twilight hours (dusk and dawn).
So, are hamsters actually nocturnal animals? Given their habits, you’ll probably be shocked to learn that hamsters are not in fact nocturnal. I mean, it’s not uncommon for hamsters to sleep during the day and then become rather rambunctious when it becomes night. Disclosure: We may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.Īre you wondering if hamsters are nocturnal? This question might arise in the first couple of weeks of owning a hamster.
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